Belzelbub
Contributor
There is one additional important consideration, particularly when related to spearguns fired on land, which should never happen.If/when a powerful speargun is discharged, there is a huge amount of energy released. All the momentum delivered to the spearshaft moving forward is generated by the momentum of the gun moving backwards. This is an incredibly important issue and is SUPER DANGEROUS to the SHOOTER. The recoil is a killer. It does not matter, even a tiny bit, what the speargun happens to be pointing toward.
Recoil is not unique to spearguns. Regular guns have the same issue, however, the difference in mass between projectile and firearm is much greater than the difference in mass between spear and speargun. Hence recoil is greater. Water slows this down a bit to a more manageable level. But it is still a potentially dangerous issue. Several years ago, Sheri Daye was struck by the butt of her speargun and nearly lost her sight. This was televised on her TV show, Speargun Hunter. Sheri is a very experienced hunter, so it wasn't from not being prepared. The handle of her gun actually snapped as she fired. As I recall, she checked out her other guns and they had cracking where the handle was screwed to the barrel.
I just checked the Outdoor Channel's website, and found that the incident I spoke of was right on the Speargun Hunter videos page. Outdoor Channel
The other issue is unique to spearguns, and not really a concern underwater. Most hunters keep the spear attached to a line (usually heavy monofilament) on their gun. While underwater, the friction from the water scrubs off enough speed so that the spear is out of gas when it reaches the end of the line. Not so on land as air generates much less friction than water. When the spear fired on land reaches the end of the line, it still has a great deal of energy to spend. Since it can no longer go forward, it comes back.
Last edited: